DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER LINKAGE BETWEEN ABLEDATA AND A WHEELCHAIR STANDARDS DATABASE FOR COMPARATIVE PRODUCT INFORMATION

THROUGHOUT THE PAST 15 YEARS, THE NUMBER AND VARIETY OF WHEELCHAIRS AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS WITH DISABILITIES HAVE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. THIS INCREASE MAKES THE AVAILABILITY OF COMPARATIVE PRODUCT INFORMATION IMPERATIVE FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS AND PRESCRIBERS TO MAKE INFORMED CHOICES.MACRO INTERNATIONAL ADMINISTERS ABLEDATA, A DATABASE CONTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT MORE THAN 19,000 PRODUCTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. MANY OF THE PATRONS WHO RQUEST WHEELCHAIR INFORMATION FROM ABLEDATA DO SO TO OBTAIN COMPARATIVE INFORMATION THAT CAN BE USED TO MAKE PURCHASING DECISIONS. MACRO PROPOSES TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON WHEELCHAIRS BY INCORPORATING WHEELCHAIR STANDARDS TEST RESULTS INTO ABLEDATA SEARCHES ABOUT WHEELCHAIRS. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY ESTABLISHING A COMPUTERIZED LINKAGE BETWEEN ABLEDATA AND THE WHEELCHAIR STANDARDS DATABASE (WSD), A DATABASE DESIGNED TO COLLECT DATA ON WHEELCHAIRS TESTED ACCORDING TO THE RECENTLY-APPROVED ANSI/RESNA STANDARDS FOR WHEELCHAIRS.